ULP INFO Picket, Friday 18th Oct, 10AM-4PM, Waterman St by faunce house

Dear GLO members,

For many years GLO has held events on the Main Green without any need to reserve that space. That changed in March when Brown’s administration unilaterally imposed a policy that requires at least fourteen days’ notice to reserve any outdoor space on campus. Because this change to our working conditions was imposed without bargaining, GLO filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) charge with the National Labor Relations Board alleging the administration’s violation of our rights as workers.

The Main Green and other outdoor campus spaces are not just important gathering places for the university community at large. For us, as employees of Brown University, they function as venues for exercising rights of association, mutual aid, and protection afforded us by the National Labor Relations Act. Whether the subject is ethical investment of the endowment or the unjust termination of a colleague, we should be allowed to make our collective voice heard without fear of retaliation. To require fourteen days’ notice unreasonably restricts our ability to publicly advocate for one another.

In connection with our ULP charge and the administration’s continued failure to bargain with us, we plan to hold an informational picket on Friday, October 18th from 10 am to 4 pm. We will demonstrate and pass out information to the community about Brown’s failure to live up to its obligations under federal labor law. We have notified the administration of our plan to do so and have further made clear that we will have no need for the picket so long as they commit to bargaining with us.

It is important to note that an informational picket is not a strike. This means that you must perform all duties related to your appointment as a TA, RA, TF, or proctor as you normally would. When you are not working, however, we encourage you to join us for as much time as you can. GLO will provide snacks and lunch to those giving their time to help inform the community of the administration’s failure to follow the law. You can RSVP for the picket here to help us achieve an accurate count for our food order.

Our picket will be held on the public sidewalk along Waterman St by Faunce House. We expect to be joined by workers from other units of Local 6516 (e.g. postdocs, community coordinators), as the administration’s unilateral policy has been imposed on them as well. It will thus be an important occasion for solidarity across our growing community of unionized workers at Brown.

We hope that you’ll join us in standing up for our right to bargain collectively over our working conditions and for our ability to express ourselves on campus. We are always stronger when we come together, and our informational picket is an important occasion to demonstrate our strength to Brown’s administration.

In solidarity,

Michael Ziegler, Classics
President
Adit Sabnis, Neuroscience
Organizing Director